Editing Isatis tinctoria (section)

===Use as Chinese medicine===
{{See also|Chinese traditional medicine}}
The woad plant's roots are used in [[Traditional Chinese medicine]] to make a medicine known as ''banlangen'' ({{Transliteration|cmn|bǎnlán'gēn}} {{lang|zh|板蓝根}}) that purports to have antiviral properties.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yu |first1=B |last2=Lin |first2=F |last3=Ning |first3=H |last4=Ling |first4=B |title=Network pharmacology study on the mechanism of the Chinese medicine Radix Isatidis (Banlangen) for COVID-19. |journal=Medicine |date=13 August 2021 |volume=100 |issue=32 |pages=e26881 |doi=10.1097/MD.0000000000026881 |pmid=34397905 |pmc=8360416 }}</ref> ''Banlangen'' is used as an herbal medicinal tea in China for colds and tonsillar ailments. Used as a tea, it has a brownish appearance and (unlike most Chinese medicines) is mildly sweet in taste.